Wednesday, September 26, 2012

On days that I'm not with my kids, I've adopted a strategy of doing as much as I can possibly do for myself. I go to an amazing yoga class that I could never go to before, I have my girls over for wine, I work out, and drive to beautiful places for the day.

When my friend Jen told me she was running in the Black Bear Attack at University of Maine, and I had the morning free, it was the obvious choice to join her. The race was one of those obstacle course mud runs, a trend that seems to be sweeping the nation.

When you have a rainy morning without your children, you should definitely say yes to rolling around in the mud. I think I read that in a self-help book once.

That's me on the left trying to intimidate the UMaine black bear with a stare-down.

I spy Suzanne and her girls hooting and hollering.

The race was mostly a trail run, but included obstacles like crawling through mud, jumping over hurdles, running through a waist-deep swampy pond, climbing up and over a wall, across balance beams, through some tires, and then ended with the most fun part: a giant slip-and-slide covered in water and soap.

This photo doesn't show how dirty we really were, because the slip-and-slide kind of rinsed us off at the end. We mostly just smelled like dish soap and we were really slimy. This race was good for a workout and many laughs. And because of the generally cold and rainy day that was Saturday, it was also good for a really hot shower post-race.

One Mom in Maine Sponsors:

follow me on facebook

"Love yourself, for who and what you are; protect your dream and develop your talent to the fullest extent. Don't lose sight of your goals. No matter what the obstacles are, don't let anything deter you from your best effort. Don't allow anyone to tell you what you can and cannot do. Be tough, be stubborn, love yourself, and find friends who believe in you."--Joan Benoit Samuelson